A colourful A3 interactive poster featuring typical birds found in New Zealand backyards, including: blackbird, chaffinch, dunnock (hedge sparrow), goldfinch, greenfinch, fantail, myna, sparrow, silvereye (waxeye) starling and tui. Cut out the pictures of the birds and place in the correct locations on the poster. Great for recognition of the different bird species, their special features and typical locations where they are found. Helps to develop ideas relating to observations, bird diversity, habitats, ecosystems, ecological niche and animal diversity. The poster is laminated light card. SHIPS TO NEW ZEALAND ONLY PAYMENT New Zealand customers: Cheque, Direct Credit, Credit Card, PayPal. Overseas customers: Not delivered overseas. Ideas and approaches Primary Years 2–3 Photocopy the master poster in black and white and give to students. Depending on the manual dexterity of the children, have them (or an adult) cut out the puzzle pieces. Having the children perform this task is preferable, since they are forced to look carefully (= observations) at the animals. Store them in a zip-top bag or similar. Position animal pieces on the puzzle in a loose fashion, or use Blu Tack or velcro for short term mounting, or glue in place permanently. Simple shape recognition — 'Which one will fit in which space?' Place correctly. Children realistically colour in their black and white pictures using the coloured poster as a guide. Questions based on observations: 1) Have you seen this before? Where? 2) What is the shape of its feet? Why? 3) What is the shape of its beak? Why? 4) How long is its tail? 5) What colour is it? 5) Does it run or hop? 6) Where would you find this in the garden, e.g. on the lawn, amongst vegetation or perched high in trees? 7) What is its song like? Naming games. Which bird is which? Use Māori and English terms. Visit a garden to spot birds. Set up a bird feeder. These usually work best in winter when food is scarce. Silvereyes and starlings love dripping, fatty meat scraps and ripe fruit. Greenfinches and sparrows love seeds. Primary Years 4–6 All the above ideas, but pitched at a higher level. Use the interactive poster as an ignition activity for a unit on birds or animals or living communities or flight. Scientific naming. Research their scientific names and near relatives. Pick your favourite bird and study it in depth. Study in the field. Drawings, observations, view using binoculars. Photograph, video. Listen to recorded bird songs. Care for a bird in captivity, e.g. a budgie or canary. Behaviour investigations: feeding preferences, ability to mimic, etc.
